Bless the Child
by New Vamp Nut
Summary: The ultimate weapon arrives in the Demon World. Yusuke and his friends have to save him and stop the demon after him. (Complete) Please R
1. Yasuo, Son of Kurama

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I kinda wish I did though.  
  
Chapter 1: Yasuo, Son of Kurama  
  
A blonde woman was pushed into a tent by two men dressed in white gis who walked in behind her.  
  
"Master Kurama," they said. "We found this woman trespassing in the forest surrounding the premisice. She  
  
claims to know you, sir."  
  
A tall man dressed in the same white outfit with long silver hair and a glistening silver fox tail stood  
  
before them. He turned to them and looked down at the woman with glowing golden eyes.  
  
"Kurama!" she cried in happiness and relief.  
  
"Kaede?" he wondered, eyes widening.  
  
She nodded and grimaced in pain, clutching her side with her free hand.  
  
Kurama knelt down before her and placed his hands on her shoulders, a worried expression on his face.  
  
"Leave us," he ordered, glancing up at the men.  
  
The men nodded and left.  
  
"Are you all right?" Kurama asked, gently.  
  
"No, I'm badly hurt," she answered. "But... I have something for you."  
  
"Something for me?" One of the pointed the pointed fox ears held high on his head twitched, catching a  
  
whimper and a slight movement from the bundle in her arms as she pushed it into his.  
  
"From Rhea," she told him. "His name is Yasuo, and... he's your son. Rhea sent me to give him to you. I  
  
don't know if she survived the attack."  
  
"Attack?!" He finally tore his eyes from the tiny baby in his arms to look at her.  
  
"They were after Yasuo. You have to promise you'll protect him."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Good. Thank you." She closed her eyes and let death take her, collapsing to the floor.  
  
Kurama called the men back inside and ordered them to bury her body, his eyes never leaving the tiny  
  
bundle he held so close. He looked up as the men came back in about fifteen minutes later. "Call everyone to a  
  
meeting outside," he ordered, standing up. He exited the tent to come face-to-face with about two dozen men.  
  
"Everyone!" he called, quieting them. "I have an important announcement to make."  
  
Silence.  
  
"I have just received word that my mate, Rhea, has been killed," he informed. "Her attacker was after our  
  
young son, Yasuo, whom she sent to me to care for." He readjusted the infant so the group could see his face. "You  
  
will all treat him with the same respect you do me. Is that clear?"  
  
The men nodded.  
  
"Good. You may return to your prior business." He watched them leave before turning to the black-haired  
  
man beside him. "Hiroshi, I want you to go fetch me some milk, bottles, and diapers as quick as you can."  
  
"Yes, sir," Hiroshi agreed, taking off.  
  
Of all his men Kurama liked young Hiroshi the best. He was the youngest of the group at 250 years old.  
  
He was a wind demon that reminded Kurama of Hiei. He was extremely fast and was often arrogant, just like Hiei.  
  
He had long black hair and ice-blue eyes that were surprisingly gentle. He and Kurama were very close friends.  
  
Within minutes, Hiroshi returned with everything Kurama had asked for. He gave them to his friend and  
  
smiled at Yasuo, who stared up at him with wide china-blue eyes. "He's got Rhea's eyes," he pointed out.  
  
Kurama nodded and went inside, carrying the supplies with him.  
  
5 Years Later...  
  
Kurama and Yasuo had grown very close over the years.  
  
At the moment they sat in the forest practicing Yasuo's plant control techniques. The boy learned  
  
extremely fast and had perfected a majority of the techniques. He still had yet to master the rose whip, death tree,  
  
and death plant though.  
  
"Youko Kurama," a deep voice called, mockingly.  
  
Kurama's golden eyes tracked to the spot where the voice had come from, his right ear cocking that way as  
  
well.  
  
Yasuo cowered closer to his father, watching the forest closely for the keeper of that voice.  
  
"Good afternoon," the voice said, its keeper appearing behind Kurama.  
  
Kurama finally turned his head to glare at the man.  
  
"I don't have time for small talk," the man said, advancing a few steps on the pair. "Now, hand over the  
  
boy, and I'll let you live."  
  
Kurama stood up and turned to him, preparing to fight. "If you want him you're going to have to get  
  
through me first," he told him, tersely.  
  
"Hmm... Interesting," the man said, not intimidated at all. "I've never killed a spirit fox before." Without  
  
warning, he charged Kurama, fist raised.   
  
Kurama merely stepped aside with superior speed and quickly prepared for the next attack.  
  
"You're fast," the man pointed out. "No matter. I've dealt with fast ones before." His hand suddenly burst  
  
into flames of spirit energy.  
  
Kurama's eyes widened momentarily before he pulled a rose from his long silver hair. He jerked the rose  
  
down, turning it into a whip. "Yasuo, stand back," he ordered, never taking his eyes off his opponent.  
  
Yasuo stood and backed slowly away from his father. "Be careful, Daddy," he whimpered.  
  
The man smirked, his white fangs glistening in the noonday sun. His brown eyes twinkled maliciously as  
  
he prepared to blast Kurama. "Prepare to die, Youko!" he yelled, hurling a blast at his opponent.  
  
Kurama watched it for a moment before leaping into the air, the attack just barely missing him. His eyes  
  
widened in horror as he saw the blast closing in on his son. "Yasuo, move!" he yelled, dodging another of his  
  
opponent's attacks.  
  
Yasuo watched the blast flying toward him with terrified china-blue eyes, unable to follow his father's  
  
orders. Just before the attack hit him, he crossed his arms in front of his face in defense.  
  
An energy "force-field" appeared around him and blocked the blast.  
  
Yasuo gritted his teeth with the effort. Suddenly, the force-field disappeared, and the blast hit him,  
  
exploding. He was thrown to the ground, battered and unconscious.  
  
Kurama landed lightly on his toes and took off toward his son, dropping his whip in the process. He  
  
dodged the series of attacks fired at him with ease, finally reaching his son. He scooped him up and took off into  
  
the woods, only slowing his strides for a moment.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" the man called, chasing after him.  
  
Kurama looked over his shoulder at him and narrowed his eyes abruptly.  
  
The man jumped over the vines that emerged from the ground and tried to grab him, picking up his stride  
  
right after clearing them. "You'll have to do better than that!" he yelled. If I don't catch him soon, he'll get away,  
  
he thought. Spirit foxes can run at top speed for hours. I can't keep up much longer.  
  
Kurama was busily racking his brain for some way to get away from that man. An idea came to him, and  
  
he closed his eyes in concentration.  
  
Within a few seconds, he and Yasuo disappeared in a flash of green light.  
  
The man skidded to a stop and looked around for them. "Rrrr. Where could they have gone?" he growled,  
  
angrily. "I'll find you! Mark my words! I will find you!!!" 


	2. Return to the Human World

Author's Note: I wrote this chapter before I saw the episode where Genkai dies. I didn't change anything about it either. Deal with it if it bugs you.

Chapter 2: Return To the Human World  
  
Kurama and Yasuo appeared in a forest in a different world with the same flash of green light.  
  
Kurama looked around and smiled. Closing his eyes, he transformed into his human form. He looked down at Yasuo and placed a hand in front of his face.  
  
Energy began coursing through his fingers, and Yasuo changed, suddenly, into a "miniature" Kurama.  
  
Kurama smiled to himself and moved Yasuo to his back, walking off after getting him settled.  
  
10 Minutes Later...  
  
Kurama walked up some all-too-familiar stairs, his son resting peacefully on his back. I hope you're home, he thought, reaching the top of the stairs. He looked around the old temple for any sign of his human friends.  
  
Suddenly, a familiar red-haired man came around the corner of the building, an aqua-haired woman following him. "Kurama!" he called, happily. He and the woman ran to Kurama, all smiles.  
  
"Hello Kuwabara, Yukina," Kurama greeted, smiling back at them.  
  
"Long time no see, buddy," Kuwabara said. "What brings you back to our world?"  
  
"Trouble," Kurama answered, indicating the boy on his back.  
  
"A kid?" Kuwabara wondered, staring wide-eyed, at the boy as Kurama leaned him against a pole. "Hey, he looks just like you, Kurama."   
  
"Is he okay?" Yukina wondered, noticing the scrapes and bruises on his face and arms. She knelt down beside the boy and laid her hand on his rounded cheek.  
  
Kurama nodded and tenderly brushed a few strands of hair out of his son's face.  
  
"Who is he?" Kuwabara asked, kneeling down beside Yukina.  
  
"His name is Yasuo," Kurama answered. "He's my son."  
  
"YOUR SON!!!" Kuwabara shrieked, shocked. "But, he looks like he's about five or six. Aren't you a little young to have a five-year-old?"  
  
"I'm over 1000 years old," Kurama told him. "If you ask me, I'm too old. But, that doesn't matter now. There's a powerful demon after him for some reason, and I'm certain that his life is in danger."  
  
"You're right about that, Kurama," an old woman said, appearing behind them. "Your son's life is in danger, as is the entire universe if that demon gets his hands on him."  
  
"Genkai," Kuwabara breathed.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kurama asked.  
  
"Ask Yusuke when he gets back," Genkai replied. "He should be able to explain everything."  
  
"That's right!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "Botan showed up this morning with a call from Koenma about a new mission. It's probably got something to do with the kid. We can just wait here for him to get back, I guess."  
  
"That's fine with me," Genkai agreed, turning to leave. "Bring the boy and follow me."  
  
Kurama nodded and picked up his son. He followed the old psychic into the temple where a futon was rolled out on the floor.  
  
"You can put him down there," Genkai told him, watching him closely.  
  
Kurama gently laid his son down and covered him with the blanker, kissing his forehead.  
  
"You should contact Hiei," Genkai said, causing Kurama to look up sharply. "You won't be able to hide him for long. We'll need all the help we can get." With that said, she left the room.  
  
Kurama contemplated what she'd said before closing his eyes. Hiei! he called. Hiei, can you hear me? I'm in the human world. We need your help.  
  
"Daddy," Yasuo whispered, opening his eyes. "Ahh! Who're you?!" He closed his china-blue eyes abruptly in fear.  
  
"Calm down, Yasuo," Kurama soothed. "It's all right. It's me." He took his son's hand and squeezed it a little.  
  
Yasuo opened his eyes and stared at his father, confused. "Daddy?" he wondered. "What happened to you?"  
  
"I'm in my human form, as are you," Kurama answered, watching Yasuo feel around for his ears and tail. "They're gone. Now you have human ears and no tail." He moved his son's hand to his new ears and then to his tail bone. "Your hearing isn't quite as keen, and you can't move your ears freely," he explained, smiling as the boy stared up at him. "You still look just like me though. You've got the same red hair and body build."  
  
"Why are we like this?" Yasuo asked.  
  
"We're in the human world," Kurama answered. "I brought us here to get away from that demon that attacked us."  
  
"Sagara," a voice said from the doorway.  
  
Kurama glanced over his shoulder at the keeper of the voice, Hiei, and smiled. "You came," he said, standing.  
  
Yasuo scrambled to his feet and hid behind his father's leg, grabbing his pants with his small hands.  
  
"Of course," Hiei scoffed. "When the great Kurama needs help I know it must be important."  
  
Kurama smiled and looked down at Yasuo. "This is my son, Yasuo," he said, pulling the boy out in front of him. "Yasuo, this is my friend, Hiei."  
  
Hiei smiled and knelt down so he was eye-level with the boy, holding out his hand.  
  
Yasuo stared at it for a moment before grasping and shaking it.  
  
Hiei glanced down at the child's wrist, and his eyes widened in shock.  
  
This didn't go unnoticed by Kurama. "What is it, Hiei?" he asked, kneeling beside him.  
  
"What's this?" Hiei wondered, pointing at the black symbol on Yasuo's left wrist.  
  
"Hmm? Oh that," Kurama replied. "It's a fusion of the ancient demonic symbols for life and death. I'm not entirely sure why it's there. He's had it since he was a baby. Why?"  
  
Hiei was just about to answer when-  
  
"What're you doing here?!" Kuwabara yelled, appearing in the doorway with Genkai, Yukina, Botan, and Yusuke.  
  
"I called him," Kurama answered, standing up. He let Yasuo take his hand and walked up to the others, Hiei following.  
  
"What's going on?" Botan wondered. "Why are you two here? And who is that?"  
  
"First of all, this is my son, Yasuo," Kurama answered, following the others into the courtyard. "We came here while running from a demon who was after him."  
  
"Sagara," Hiei added. "He's a fire demon, about 200 years old. He's known for his impressive flame techniques and has a high-ranking reputation among the crooks. He's killed many for wealthy humans who pay him well for his services. His fighting skill is comparable to much older demons, like Kurama and myself. Some even say that he's the next Youko Kurama, demon world's new boogeyman."  
  
"So, what's he got to do with us?" Yusuke wondered. "I mean, I know he's after that demon with the symbol on his wrist but that still doesn't explain why you two are worried."  
  
"You really are incompetent," Hiei muttered, walking over to Yasuo and Kurama. He gently took Yasuo's left hand and flipped it over, exposing the boy's wrist.  
  
"Hey, that's the symbol Koenma showed me before," Yusuke said, drifting closer.  
  
"So, what's it mean?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
Hiei and Kurama sweat-dropped.  
  
"It means that this kid is what Sagara wants," Yusuke answered. "We can't let him get his hands on him no matter what."  
  
"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed. "But if that guy is as bad as Hiei says than we could have some problems."  
  
"That's why I contacted Hiei," Kurama said. "We won't be able to hide from him forever. He'll find us here eventually, and when he does, we must be ready for him."  
  
"Right," Kuwabara agreed again. "But where are you guys gonna stay?"  
  
"You're welcome to stay here," Genkai spoke up.  
  
"Or I've got some extra room at my place if you'd rather not be here with the old hag," Yusuke offered, glaring at Genkai before grinning stupidly at Hiei.  
  
"It would probably be safer with Yusuke," Kurama said, smirking at Hiei.  
  
Hiei was standing between Yukina and Kurama and was staring nervously down at his feet, stealing an occasional glance up at his twin. Hearing Kurama and Yusuke's statements and feeling their looks, he raised his head and glared at them, angrily.  
  
Kurama and Yusuke looked at each other briefly before bursting out laughing, cheerfully.  
  
"They look so cute together," Yusuke said, between laughs.  
  
"Yes," Kurama agreed. "Quite the perfect couple."  
  
Hiei's cheeks flushed with that last comment, eyes widening momentarily. "If you two idiots value your lives, you'd better quit now," he threatened, gritting his teeth.  
  
Kurama and Yusuke's laughter dwindled to light chuckles immediately.  
  
"I don't get it," Kuwabara said, scratching his head. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing," Yusuke answered, still chuckling a little.


	3. The Loss of Yasuo

Chapter 4: The Loss of Yasuo

Kurama, Yusuke, and Hiei stood before Sagara, prepared to fight.

Sagara watched them, amusement clear in his eyes, before turning his eyes on Yasuo and Botan. He grinned

evilly at them, pearly fangs bared.

Yasuo cowered against Botan, terrified of the fire demon before him.

Botan held him close, squeezing slightly to calm him, and stroked his long, soft red hair. She smiled as he hugged

back and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Oh Yasuo, you could've been mine, she thought, looking

longingly at Kurama. If I hadn't been so afraid you would have been, and you wouldn't be in this terrible danger

right now.

"You leave him alone!" Kurama yelled, angrily, noticing the look Sagara was giving his son.

Sagara's attention was instantly drawn to the spirit fox, and he glared at him in retaliation. "And just what are you

going to do to stop me?" he asked, arrogantly.

"Well, since you asked," Yusuke started, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna kick your butt!" He charged Sagara,

fist raised. He threw his punch and nailed the demon right in the face. "Ha! Guess maybe he's not as big and bad

as we first thought."

"I wouldn't get too excited just yet, Yusuke," Hiei said, nodding to Sagara when Yusuke looked at him over his

shoulder.

Yusuke looked back at the fire demon, and his eyes widened in shock when he noticed Sagara smirking at him.

"What?" he wondered. "But that was a perfect blow."

"Apparently it wasn't as perfect as you thought, Spirit Detective," Sagara stated, wiping the trail of blood from his

lip. He smirked and punched Yusuke square in the jaw.

Yusuke went flying into the picnic table, shattering it into a million pieces of woodchips. He struggled to sit up

but failed miserably.

"Ha. So, I see that pathetic human was no match for you," Hiei said, smirking. "However, I won't be such a

pushover." He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Sagara.

"Hey, I'm not pathetic or a pushover, Three-Eyes!" Yusuke countered, furious.

Hiei ignored him and charged the other fire demon. He took a few swings which Sagara dodged with ease before

landing lightly on the roof. He's much faster than I thought, he thought. He leapt at his opponent again and

swung at him a few more times, missing each time.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sagara wondered, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Hiei smirked and put his sword away. He took off his cloak and dropped to a fighting stance. "Well, hand-to-hand

combat is more my style," he admitted, arrogantly. He ran at Sagara and began throwing punches and kicks like a

wildman, which Sagara easily dodged.

Sagara rolled his eyes and socked Hiei in the gut before slamming him in the back, hurling him into the ground.

Hiei hit hard and didn't get back up.

"Well Kurama, it's just you and me now," Sagara said, facing the furious spirit fox. "Care to try your hand as a

human or will you be transforming?"

Kurama smirked and stood up straight. He pulled a rose from his red hair and jerked it down, turning it into a

whip.

"Human form it is," Sagara sighed, readying himself for the Rose Whip.

Kurama attacked the fire demon with his whip, getting annoyed at not being able to hit him.

Suddenly, Sagara disappeared and reappeared behind Kurama. He kicked him in the back, throwing him into the

tree.

Kurama hit the trunk face-first and fell to the ground, dropping his whip. He didn't make any attempt to move his

aching body, although he could hear his companions struggling to their feet.

Sagara smirked at his fallen opponents and turned to Yasuo and Botan.

Botan gasped and brought out her oar. Gathering Yasuo in her arms, she mounted it and flew away from the

battlefield. She looked back to make sure Sagara wasn't following, only to see a ball of flame speeding toward her.

Her eyes widened, and she sped away, trying desperately to avoid the blast. I have to protect Yasuo, she thought.

Yasuo peered over Botan's shoulder from the security of her arms to see the ball of flame coming right at them.

Before he could do anything, the blast hit them and exploded in a ball of fire. He and Botan screamed and fell off

the oar and out of the sky.

Kurama heard their screams and, ignoring his body's protests, got up and took off to where they were falling as

fast as he could go. He reached the clearing they had landed in just in time to see Sagara take off with Yasuo in

his arms. His anger and fear for his son's life turned him into Youko. Without thinking, he chased after Sagara.

"Kurama," Botan called, weakly.

Kurama stopped just as he entered the cover of the trees and turned to look at her. He took one glance in the

direction that Sagara had disappeared in before turning back to her and rushing to her side, kneeling down beside

her. He lifted her to a half-sitting position and took her hand in his.

"Kurama, I'm sorry," she rasped.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, gently.

"Sorry I couldn't protect Yasuo from that monster," she answered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Kurama gave her a gentle smile, his blazing golden eyes softening. "I never expected you to," he told her, running

the backs of their joined hands on her cheek. "I more expected him to protect you than you him. I'm surprised he

didn't do anything to stop the blast."

"Don't be mad at him," she pleaded, weakly. "It wasn't his fault."

"I'm not mad at him for not doing as I asked," he assured her, giving her another gentle smile. "He's still very

young and was just scared, that's all."

Botan smiled back and squeezed his hand, a few tears spilling over her eyelids.

"Hey, he's over here!" Yusuke called from the woods.

A few seconds later, he and Hiei appeared at Botan's side, staring down at them.

"Where's Sagara!" Hiei demanded.

"Gone," Kurama answered, hanging his head.

"And Yasuo?" Yusuke pressed.

Kurama sighed uneasily and closed his eyes. "He's gone," he replied, looking up at his friends.

Yusuke and Hiei's eyes widened in shock.


	4. The Truth About Yasuo

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated this in so long. We switched computers, and I had no way to get my stuff to the computer that has the internet connection. My sincerest apologies to anyone who was anxiously waiting for an update on this story.

Chapter 3: The Truth About Yasuo

Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Yasuo were in Yusuke's backyard on a warm, summer afternoon one week

later.

Kurama was busily testing Yasuo's visual reaction time by shooting vines at him from the ground in

varied places. "Use your eyes, not your ears!" he ordered.

"Right," Yasuo agreed, landing lightly on his toes.

"Hello, boys!" Botan called, floating down to them on her oar. She hopped off it and put it away. "I got all

the information about that symbol that I could from Koenma," she told them, taking a seat beside Yusuke.

"Good," Kurama said, smiling. "Yasuo, you're done. You can go play."

The red-haired boy's face lit up, and he ran off to play.

Kurama shook his head wistfully and turned back to Botan.

"Anyway, the symbol is a fusion of the demonic signs for life and death," Botan began. "It signifies a joint

of two opposites, creating the Universe's most powerful weapon."

"Joint of two opposites?" Yusuke repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"When opposites attract and join, they produce an enormous amount of force and energy," Kurama

explained. "Rhea and I were total opposites."

"Yes, and I still can't understand how you two even had a remote resemblance of a relationship," Hiei

scoffed.

Kurama rolled his eyes and continued, "We were opposite in personality, demon type, cellular structure,

looks, almost anything you could think of. Yasuo is the result of two joined opposites."

"The child of animal and element," Botan said, watching the small boy push a toy car around. "He is the

ultimate weapon that can be used for good or evil. If Sagara gets a hold of him it will mean the end of the three

worlds. However, if we were to use his power to destroy whatever evil plans Sagara has we'll have saved the

Universe."

"Gee Botan, that was pathetic," Yusuke insulted her. "Even Kuwabara could come up with a better plan

than that."

"I agree with Yusuke," Hiei said.

Botan ground her teeth together and smacked the smirking pair in the head.

Yusuke and Hiei were about to retort when-

"Daddy!" Yasuo yelled, running up to the adults. He tugged on his father's shirt sleeve and pointed at the

large tree behind them. "Daddy, there's something in the tree."

"Is it Sagara, Yasuo?" Kurama asked, resting his hands on his son's thin shoulders.

Yusuke and Hiei jumped to their feet, preparing to fight.

"Mmm-mmm," the boy denied, shaking his head. "It doesn't have a high enough level of spirit energy."

Kurama smiled at his son and stood up beside Yusuke and Hiei. "Go wait with Botan and protect her if

need be," he ordered.

Yasuo nodded and ran over to Botan. He turned around and watched his father and friends walk a little

closer to the tree.

Hiei scanned the tree and spotted the poorly-concealed figure. "There," he said, pointing.

Yusuke nodded and disappeared. He reappeared before the two demons and threw the creature from the

tree down at their feet.

Kurama grabbed a handful of its trenchcoat and hauled it up to his eye level. Taking a seed from his hair,

he prepared to imbed it in the creature's neck.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Yusuke asked, appearing beside Kurama.

"I'll never tell you anything," the green demon hissed.

"Wrong answer," Kurama said, inserting the seed in the demon's neck. "Now, I suggest you answer our

questions truthfully or I'll begin that death plant's growth process."

The demon stared at him with wide, fearful eyes and gasped as an image of Youko Kurama flashed before

his eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you everything, Youko," it agreed. "Just don't kill me."

"Agreed," Kurama said, smiling at his handiwork.

"My name is Gohei, and I was sent here by Sagara to get that kid," it explained, nodding to Yasuo.

Yasuo backed up closer to Botan and unconsciously felt around for her hand.

Botan saw this and took his small hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. She wrapped her other arm

protectively around his neck and watched the boys and the demon before her.

"Where is Sagara?" Yusuke asked.

"Coming," it answered, simply.

"What!" Kurama exclaimed, making the death plant sprout.

The demon glanced down at the leaf protruding from its neck before looking back at Kurama. "He's

coming," it repeated, looking over at Yasuo and Botan again. "He's coming for you, little boy."

Yasuo clutched Botan's hand even tighter, afraid of the demon and what he'd said.

Kurama made the death plant finish its job and dropped the demon's limp body on the ground. He's

coming, he thought, angrily. He then looked over at Botan and Yasuo.

Botan was knelt down before Yasuo, the boy in her arms. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her

neck, trembling slightly. She held him close and rubbed his back, whispering soothing words into his ear.

Kurama smiled at them and turned to Yusuke and Hiei.

"Do you think Sagara's really coming?" Yusuke asked, not believing the demon.

Kurama nodded. "My death plant can be very persuasive," he said, smirking.

"In that case, we should go get Kuwabara and start preparing for his arrival," Yusuke said, punching his

palm.

"Start preparing for whose arrival?" a voice wondered from behind them.

The guys whirled around, only to see Sagara standing beside the body of Gohei.

"You couldn't mean me, could you?" Sagara taunted, smirking as they dropped to fighting stances.

"Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"


	5. Return to Demon World

**Chapter 5: Return To Demon World**

Kurama gathered Botan in his arms and stood up. He looked up at the sky, eyes sad, before turning back to Yusuke and Hiei.

"Well, what now?" Yusuke asked.

"We have no choice but to go after Sagara and stop him from using Yasuo's hidden power," Hiei answered, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah," Yusuke agreed, nodding. "We should probably go get Kuwabara first. You know how he hates it when we leave him here." He prepared to take off to Genkai's place to get his friend.

"No," Kurama spoke up, stopping him. "I will go get him." He gave Botan to Yusuke and started walking off.

"Hey wait!" Yusuke called, running up to him. "Why don't we send Hiei? He's still the fastest out of the three of us."

"No," Kurama denied, shaking his head. "I am much faster than Hiei, and, besides, Kuwabara would never listen to him." He smiled at his short friend over his shoulder before walking off again. "Take care of Botan, Yusuke," he ordered, turning into his fox form. Taking one last look at his friends, he ran off.

"In his fox form, Kurama is much faster than me and can outrun anything, demon or human," Hiei noted, smirking. "That cheater."

Kurama sped through the forest and reached Genkai's temple stairs in record time. He charged up the steps and jumped the last one, landing lightly in the middle of the courtyard. He scanned the temple for any signs of life and found three in the backyard.

"Ah!" Kuwabara yelled, appearing in the courtyard. "It's a fox! Rrr. Spirit Sword!" His sword formed in his hand, and he ran at the fox.

Kurama's eyes tracked over to him, and he smirked inwardly. His figure blurred as Kuwabara's sword came flying at him, leaving a brief afterimage. He reappeared behind his friend and growled at him, trying to provoke his fury for a little amusement.

"Why you," Kuwabara cursed, turning to him. "I'll get you this time!" He charged and swung, missing again.

This time Kurama landed a few bare inches in front of a large tree. He growled at Kuwabara again and leapt into the tree as his sword came flying at his head, landing on the lowest branch. He quickly transformed back into Shuichi and sat down on the branch. As his friend pulled his sword from the tree trunk he began to laugh.

"Huh?" Kuwabara wondered, stupidly. He looked up into the tree to see Kurama perched on the branch, laughing at him. "Kurama? What are you doing here? And what happened to that fox?"

Kurama jumped down from the branch and landed before Kuwabara, his back turned to him. "You must come with me, Kuwabara," he ordered, the cheer leaving his voice. "We don't have much time left." He turned into his demon form and looked over his shoulder at his friend. "I promise I'll explain everything to you later. Now, follow me." He turned into a spirit fox and ran into the woods, stopping momentarily to wait for Kuwabara to catch up before taking off again.

"Wait up, Kurama!" Kuwabara called, breathing heavily. "You're going too fast!"

Kurama stopped and watched him trying to keep up. _He is too slow,_ he thought. _Perhaps if I persuade him a little, he'll pick up the pace. Come on, you slowpoke! Come catch me if you can!_

"What'd you mean slowpoke!" Kuwabara yelled, angrily.

_Just what I said, you're not even close to being fast enough to catch me_, Kurama answered. He smirked and took off again.

"Oh, that does it," Kuwabara muttered, chasing the spirit fox. "We'll see whose calling who slow when I catch you, fox-boy!" He chased Kurama all the way back to the clearing where Yusuke and Hiei were waiting for them.

"Hmph. What took you?" Hiei asked. "Stop for a quick snack? That trip took you ten minutes and should have only taken five."

Kurama reassumed his demon form and smirked at Hiei. "Of course not, Hiei," he replied, looking up as Kuwabara entered the clearing. "It would have taken me five minutes alone, but I had company, remember?"

Hiei looked up at Kuwabara and smirked. "Ah yes," he sighed. "The baffoon couldn't keep up, could he?"

"Hey shrimp, who you callin' baffoon!" Kuwabara yelled, getting right up in Hiei's face.

"Any slightly intelligent human would have known I was referring to you," Hiei answered, glaring at Kuwabara from the corner of his eyes.

"Rrr. Why you lit-"

"Children!" Yusuke butted in. "That's enough. We've got more important things to worry about right now."

"Yes, that's right," Kurama agreed, going to Yusuke. He took Botan from him and turned to the others. "You go on ahead to demon world. I'll take her back to Koenma's palace and meet you there." He turned his back to them and looked at Kuwabara. "Oh, and by the way, sorry about the insults, Kuwabara," he apologized, smiling. "You shouldn't be too upset about not being able to catch me though. Hiei is a lot faster than you, and he can't even catch me." He smirked at them and disappeared.

"Uh guys, where'd Kurama go?" Kuwabara asked, stupidly looking around.

"You imbecile," Hiei insulted. "He took that Spirit Guide to Koenma's palace."

"Oh," Kuwabara said, looking over at Yusuke. "Urameshi, Kurama said we were supposed to go to the demon world, right?"

"Right," Yusuke agreed, nodding once.

"Well, how exactly are we supposed to get there without Botan!" Kuwabara wondered, impatiently.

"Hmm. I don't know," Yusuke answered. "That's a tough one."

Kuwabara fell over.

"You're more of an idiot than I thought," Hiei said, exasperated.

Kuwabara jumped up and glared at Hiei, Yusuke doing the same.

"I can get us to demon world," Hiei explained, looking up at them. "Every demon living in your world can go back and forth between the three worlds at will. You'd think a half-demon like you would know that."

Yusuke rolled his eyes at that last comment. "All right," he said. "Let's go then."

"Right," Hiei agreed, turning his back to them. "Put your hands on my shoulders, and we'll go."

Kuwabara and Yusuke obeyed.

The three of them disappeared instantly. They reappeared in a similar forest and looked around.

Hiei stepped away from the humans and stopped suddenly, feeling a presence behind them.

"What kept you?" a voice asked from behind them.

Kuwabara whirled around and got ready to fight, not recognizing the voice. He dropped his stance when he saw who it was.

"Hey, Kurama," Yusuke greeted, eyes tracking over to his friend.

"Hello," Kurama replied, pushing himself up from the tree he had been leaning against. He walked up to them and smiled. "Are you ready to begin our search?" he asked.

"Search for what?" Kuwabara asked, stupidly. "What's going on?"

Kurama's smile faded, and he hung his head in shame, his thick red hair covering up his green eyes.

"We're looking for Sagara's hideout, you incompetent," Hiei answered for Kurama.

"Okay, that answers one question," Kuwabara said, ignoring Hiei's insult. "Now, what's goin' on?"

"We need to find Sagara and kill him before he takes over the three worlds," Yusuke answered, simply.

"Oh, a fight, huh?" Kuwabara said, mood lifting. "Well, I guess you guys knew you were gonna need a lot of help to beat this guy. That's why you sent Kurama to come get me." He began to laugh, arrogantly.

The other three sweat-dropped.

"Not exactly," Yusuke corrected. "We know how much you hate being left behind, so Kurama came and got you."

Kuwabara glared at Yusuke before his eyes widened as he remembered something. "Hey, where's that little kid?" he asked, looking around.

Hiei was about to say something when Kurama spoke up.

"Sagara showed up at Yusuke's house," Kurama replied, sadly. "We all got into a fight with him and lost. Botan tried to save Yasuo by flying away but got burned by one of Sagara's flame attacks. Sagara then found them in the woods and took Yasuo."

"And that's bad, right?" Kuwabara wondered, scratching his head.

The others sweat-dropped again.


	6. Sagara's Hideout

**Chapter 6: Sagara's Hideout**

After explaining the entire situation to Kuwabara, the four of them headed into the woods to search for Sagara and Yasuo.

"Um, I hate to burst your bubble guys, but... how are we supposed to find him?" Kuwabara asked. "I haven't even seen him yet."

The others looked at him, wide-eyed, over their shoulders.

"Demons have excellent tracking abilities," Kurama answered, smiling. "With two demons and one half-demon we'll find him rather quickly."

"Hey, that's great!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "How come you guys never told me you could do that before?"

"We did," Hiei answered, scanning the area for signs of someone passing by quickly.

"Yeah," Yusuke agreed, glaring at Kuwabara. "We told you before but you were spacing out and didn't hear us."

Kuwabara was about to retort when-

"I've found something," Kurama called from up the trail a ways.

Kuwabara and Yusuke came running as Hiei was already beside Kurama.

"What is it?" Yusuke asked.

"It's a piece of Yasuo's shirt," Kurama answered, pulling it off the twig it was attached to. He held it up for them to see before putting it in his pocket.

"And here are some footprints," Hiei added, pointing at the ground before him. "They're definitely Sagara's."

"Great!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Now we can just follow the footprints to Sagara's hideout."

Kurama smiled at him and nodded.

Hiei began to walk, following the footprints and scanning them with his Jagan eye.

The others followed closely behind him.

"Well, I guess that third eye of yours comes in handy, doesn't it?" Kuwabara noticed, nudging Hiei's shoulder with his elbow.

Hiei rolled his eyes and continued with the task at hand. He led the group to a cave at the foot of a mountain a few miles away.

"Well, this must be the place," Yusuke said, walking a few steps ahead of Hiei.

"So, what'd we do now?" Kuwabara asked.

"That's simple, doofus," Yusuke answered, getting a glare from his friend. "We just waltz in like we own the place and take out Sagara."

"Hey! What's the big idea callin' me a doofus!" Kuwabara yelled, angrily.

"Just stating the obvious, pal," Yusuke answered, smirking.

Kuwabara ground his teeth together and attacked Yusuke.

Kurama shook his head at the two and walked up to Hiei, stopping beside him.

"Do you smell anything unusual?" Hiei asked, looking around.

Kurama sniffed the air and joined Hiei's search. "There's someone watching us," he said as Yusuke approached them.

"Someone's watching us?" he asked, looking around.

"Shhhh!" Hiei and Kurama shushed him.

Suddenly, a rather large group of demons dropped from the trees, surrounding them. The demons dropped to fighting stances and prepared to take on the intruders.

Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara dropped to stances as well. Kurama took a rose from his hair and jerked it down, turning it into a whip. Hiei drew his sword. Kuwabara brought out his spirit sword, and Yusuke prepared for a spirit gun.

Sagara sat in a throne in the shadows of a dark room, his legs crossed and his head resting in his hand. "Who are these intruders?" he asked the blue demon before him.

"Youko Kurama, the spirit detective Yusuke Urameshi, and their friends Hiei and Kazuma Kuwabara," the demon answered.

"So, they're coming back for more, eh?" Sagara said, sitting up straight. "They sure are persistent little pests, aren't they?"

"Yes sir," the demon agreed.

Sagara motioned for him to leave and watched him bow and exit. He stood up and walked to a door at the back of the room. He unlocked it and went inside.

The room was small and dark, the only light coming from a single lamp on the table in the far corner. There was a wood-framed bed up against the left wall. The bed itself was very old with a worn marroon blanket covering the creaky, stiff mattress and an musty, flat feather pillow at its head. Sitting at the edge of this bed was a small child with its head down.

Sagara smirked at the child and sat down in the chair that sat by the right wall.

The child was a boy of about five years old. He was dressed in a clean white gi with a matching belt and pants. His small taupe shoes hung about a foot above the floor, and his hands rested lightly on his knees, clutching his pants in restrained anger. Hidden by his thick silver bangs were gorgeous china-blue eyes that were brimming with tears which he held back. His pointed fox ears were alert and aimed at Sagara, waiting for any sudden movement from him.

"Your father is coming to try and rescue you," Sagara spoke up, suddenly. He smirked as the boy's head jerked up and his face brightened.

"Really?" the boy asked, smiling hopefully.

"Mmm-hmm," Sagara agreed, nodding once. "But I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Don't forget that he has to kill me to get to you, my boy."

The boy's head dropped again immediately, and a few tears rolled down his rounded cheeks, landing on his hands.

Sagara stood up and walked over to the bed. He sat down beside the boy and laid a hand on his head. "So, have you decided to help me yet?" he asked, rubbing his tangled silver hair. "Yasuo?"

Yasuo glared up at him momentarily before moving his gaze back to the floor.

Sagara smirked and let his hand trail down to Yasuo's tail, which lay curled slightly around the child's thigh. He pet the tail and smiled as Yasuo began to sway sleepily. "You know, you really should take better care of your tail, Yasuo," he said, picking up the furry appendage. He squeezed it a few times, and Yasuo's head fell onto his lap. He smirked and dropped the tangled silver fox tail. He scooped the boy's limp frame into his arms and carried him off, locking the door behind him.

"Takes care of that," Yusuke said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "So, what now? Do we just go in?"

Kurama nodded and entered the cave, the others following closely behind him.


	7. Sagara's Plan

**Chapter 7: Sagara's Plan**

Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei walked along through the damp cave path, looking around for any signs of life. None of them realized it, but they were being closely monitored.

Sagara watched them walk down the fire-lit corridor with great amusement. He pushed a button on the armrest of the throne and smirked. "Let's see how they handle my army of cultivated humans," he said, chuckling a little.

"What was that?" Kuwabara wondered, stopping abruptly.

The others stopped as well and looked at him strangely.

"Someone's coming!" Kurama exclaimed, turning around.

The other three turned as well and followed his gaze down the hall as a group of about four dozen cultivated humans appeared before them.

"Not these guys again," Kuwabara groaned, bringing out his spirit sword.

"We don't have time for this," Yusuke added, preparing his shotgun.

Kurama and Hiei nodded and brought out their weapons as well.

The four of them charged the cultivated humans and attacked, killing the entire army.

"Hmm... Well done," Sagara commented, stopping his clock. "It only took them 90 seconds to get rid of all those zombies. I must say that I'm impressed."

The boys ran down the corridor as fast as they could and entered a huge valley at the end. They stopped abruptly and stared in awe at the valley around them.

"Where are we?" Kuwabara asked, confused.

"Where'd this valley come from?" Yusuke wondered. "I thought we were in a cave."

"It appears that the cave was just a passage into this valley," Kurama answered, looking around for Sagara.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sagara called from ahead of them.

"Sagara," Kurama growled, dropping to a fighting stance.

The others followed suit and prepared to attack the demon.

"Where's Yasuo!" Kurama demanded, bringing out a rose whip.

"Right here," Sagara answered, stepping aside.

The boys gasped as they saw the small spirit fox asleep in a cage behind him.

Without thinking, Kurama dropped his whip and ran to the cage, kneeling down beside it. "Yasuo, wake up," he pleaded, shaking the cage slightly.

"He won't wake up for you, Youko," Sagara said, looking at Kurama over his shoulder.

Kurama turned to the fire demon angrily, still on his knees. His eyes widened as Sagara's eyes flashed red momentarily and whirled around as he heard movement in the cage.

Yasuo stood up but kept his head down, covering his eyes with his silver hair.

"Yasuo?" Kurama ventured, unsure of his son.

Suddenly, a light blue blast burst from the boy and desintigrated the cage around him.

Kurama hurriedly moved to block it and got hit by it as well. He was thrown to the ground and skidded along the grass, stopping at his friends' feet.

"Kurama!" Yusuke and Kuwabara called, kneeling down at his sides as the blast dissipated.

Yasuo straightened and turned to them, finally raising his head. He then looked at them, revealing a pair of blank china-blue eyes that were void of emotion or life.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked, worriedly. He glared at Yasuo and Sagara as the latter patted the boy on the head.

Kurama sat up and held his shoulder, gritting his teeth in anger. "What did you do to him!" he yelled, moving to his knees.

"I merely washed out his brain," Sagara answered, simply. "You see, he was useless to me as he was when I took him so I had to fix that problem before I could carry out my plans with him."

"What did you plan on doing with him?" Hiei asked.

"If you must know, I plan to use his power to take over the human, demon, and spirit worlds," Sagara replied, smirking. "I will then have him kill King Yamma and that pip-squeak, Koenma, and rule on high in their place. And, once I'm through with him, I'll kill him myself."

"You wouldn't," Kuwabara breathed, surprised. "Who would want to kill an innocent little kid like him?"

"He would, Kuwabara," Kurama answered, standing up. "He doesn't care a bit about Yasuo. He only wants him for the power he possesses as the Universe's greatest weapon. And that is all he sees him as... a weapon. A weapon that is only good for one thing and can be dispensed with once it's fulfilled its purpose." He took a step closer to Sagara and his son.

"You're angry," Sagara noticed.

"Yes, I am," Kurama agreed. "Angry with you for doing this to an innocent child and angry with myself for not being able to stop you." He abruptly transformed into his demon form and prepared to take on Sagara.


	8. The Battle Begins

**Chapter 8: The Battle Begins**

Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara took their places at Kurama's sides and prepared to fight.

"So, you're ready to die now?" Sagara wondered, arrogantly. "Well, I think that can be arranged. Yasuo!"

Yasuo stepped up and took a rose from his hair. He jerked it down, turning it into a whip.

Kurama's eyes widened in shock. _He could never do the Rose Whip before_, he thought. _What happened? How did he learn it?_

"In case you were wondering," Sagara spoke up. "His skill has increased as a result of his brainwash. So now, he can perform every technique his fragile body can handle with ease. He is, after all, the ultimate weapon."

Kurama straightened and took a rose from his own hair, glaring at Sagara. He jerked it down, forming a whip.

Sagara smirked and motioned for Yasuo to attack.

Yasuo began flinging his whip at his father with lightning speed and accuracy.

Kurama blocked his blows with minimal difficulty using his own whip. He watched the boy jump back and dodged his next bunch of faster attacks by running off to the left.

Yasuo followed him with his eyes and whip, never ceasing his attacks.

"Whoa," Kuwabara breathed, stunned. "I've never seen anyone move that fast, not even Urameshi."

"No kidding," Yusuke agreed. "And Kurama's keeping up with him too."

"Barely," Hiei said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Huh?" Yusuke and Kuwabara wondered, looking over at him.

"Kurama has never been forced to move at his maximum speed during battle before," Hiei explained. "Even a spirit fox can't last very long moving and fighting that fast. He will tire soon and slow down drastically."

"What?" Yusuke asked, looking back at Kurama who had stopped moving. "But... he's not even breathing hard."

"Just watch, and you'll see what I mean," Hiei replied, smirking.

Yasuo dropped his whip and took a fighting stance, his father doing the same. He charged Kurama and began to throw punches and kicks faster than the human eye.

Kurama blocked and dodged every blow until his son nailed him in the jaw, throwing him to the ground. He pushed himself up and flipped away into a nearby tree as Yasuo's fist came flying at his stomach. He wiped the blood from his lip and jumped away as the boy came at him again. _He's a lot stronger and faster than I ever thought possible_, he thought, landing lightly on a boulder. _I'll have to stay on my utmost guard. _

Yasuo landed twenty yards away from him and stared at him, blankly. He shook his head, suddenly, and dropped to a fighting stance again. He charged Kurama and threw a punch, missing him completely. His fist instead connected with the boulder and broke it into a million pieces. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he leapt at his father again.

"What's the deal?" Yusuke wondered. "Why isn't Kurama fighting back? That kid's gonna beat the snot out of him if he doesn't do something soon."

"You idiot," Hiei said, angrily. "You should know Kurama better than that by now. Even in his original demon form, he would never hurt women or children. This child is his son, making him ten times less likely to fight back."

"So, what you're sayin' is he's just gonna keep runnin' away?" Kuwabara asked, glaring down at Hiei.

"Exactly," Hiei agreed. "He'll run away until he comes up with a plan to stop the boy without hurting him. I'm surprised that you were able to catch on so quickly." He smirked up at Kuwabara, waiting for the retort.

"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled, pulling back for a punch.

"Cut it out, you two!" Yusuke ordered, glaring at both of them from the corners of his eyes. "Hiei, shouldn't we go help him or something?"

"No," Hiei declined, shaking his head. "This is Kurama's battle. He may be gentle in his demon form but he would not tolerate us stepping in to help him out. Don't worry, spirit detective. He'll think of something soon."

Yusuke nodded and looked back out at the battlefield. He watched his friend get socked in the gut and then slammed into the ground, getting angrier by the minute.

Kurama struggled to his feet, holding his stomach. He coughed up some blood and straightened, dropping his hand at his side.

"Kurama!" Yusuke called, starting to come to his aid.

"No," Kurama stopped him. "I'm fine, Yusuke. I can handle him by myself. I don't need your help." His tone was firm, demanding no argument whatsoever.

Yusuke nodded slowly and backed up to Hiei's side again.

"I told you so," Hiei scoffed, smirking at Yusuke.

_I just hope he'll be alright, _Yusuke thought, ignoring Hiei.


	9. The End of Kurama

**Chapter 9: The End of Kurama**

Yasuo smirked and charged Kurama again. He began throwing punches like a wildman, getting blocked every time. He leapt away from his father and landed a few feet away. He raised one fist and pointed it at Kurama.

"Hey, that kinda looks like Urameshi's shotgun," Kuwabara noticed.

"It _is_ the shotgun!" Yusuke yelled, stunned. "SCATTER!"

"Shotgun!" Yasuo shouted, firing the attack.

Kurama jumped into the air to avoid it, his friends following.

Yasuo suddenly appeared above him and punched him hard in the jaw, hurling him into the ground. He smirked at his handiwork and landed on one knee in a nearby tree.

Kurama struggled to his knees and then stood, shaking his head to clear his vision.

"Kurama!" Yusuke and Kuwabara called, running toward him.

"No!" Kurama countered, glaring at them over his shoulder. "This is my fight, and I will not have you interfering."

"But-" Yusuke started.

"I'm fine, spirit detective!" Kurama argued, turning back to Yasuo. "I don't need your help."

"But..." Yusuke backed off when his friend glared at him one last time. _Spirit detective?_ he wondered, landing beside Hiei in the tree. _He's never called me that before._

"I warned you, Yusuke," Hiei said, sitting down on the branch. "The bandit, Youko Kurama, never needed help for anything and never allowed anyone to help him. His bandit instincts are overriding his pathetic human ones. You're lucky he didn't kill both of you." He rested one arm on his knee and looked back at the battlefield.

"You're crazy, shrimp," Kuwabara said, glaring at Hiei. "Kurama's too nice to hurt his friends."

"Am I?" Hiei wondered, never looking at Kuwabara. "The Kurama you know wouldn't, I'll admit, but the Kurama you see before you has no friends to hurt."

Kuwabara was about to counter when he heard Kurama cry out in pain. He turned fearful eyes back to the battle only to see his friend hunched over, clutching his stomach.

"There. You see, Youko?" Sagara spoke up. "No one, not even you, can defeat him. He is indeed the Ultimate Weapon."

"You may be right," Kurama replied, straightening. "But I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. I haven't lost yet." He abruptly turned into his fox form and glared at them.

"Well now, this should be interesting," Sagara commented. "Not to mention bloody." He snapped his fingers, and Yasuo transformed as well.

Kurama dodged the smaller fox as he leapt at him and took off to the right, Yasuo following. He stopped before a tree and turned to his son. He dodged the fox as he jumped at him again and smirked inwardly as Yasuo crashed head-first into the tree. _It's just as I thought,_ he deduced. _He may be strong and fast but his brain hasn't sharpened at all. He still has the mind of a child. That's his weakness._

"All right Kurama!" Yusuke and Kuwabara cheered, happily.

Yasuo stood up and shook his silver head to focus his china-blue eyes before glaring at his father. He ran at him again, faster this time, and aimed a bite at his neck.

Kurama ducked under his teeth and screamed as they instead sank into his shoulders. He thrashed about wildly, trying to loosen his son's grip. Amidst his thrashing, something silver caught his eye. Without thinking, he clamped down on it and jerked it as hard as he could. When Yasuo's teeth came loose, he whipped the smaller fox into a tree.

Yasuo's back hit the tree hard, and he fell to the ground. He slowly got to his feet and wobbled slightly before looking over at Kurama. He charged him again, teeth bared, and clamped down on his paw as it came up to protect his throat.

Kurama shrieked again and bit into the thick fur on his son's back. He threw him away again and quickly examined the open wound on his front paw. Hearing Yasuo get up, he turned away from his injury and glared at him.

_Man, Kurama's getting masacred out there,_ Yusuke thought, his anger growing by leaps and bounds. _And I can't even help him. This is so unfair. He's gonna die if we don't do something soon._

"Urameshi, we gotta do somethin'," Kuwabara said, angrily.

"We can't, Kuwabara," Yusuke replied, sadly. "He'd never forgive us if we did."

"But... he'll die if we don't," Kuwabara argued. "And I'd never forgive myself if I let that happen. He's in trouble, and I couldn't call myself his friend if I just sat here and watched him get killed by his own son." He moved to jump down from the tree.

"Stop, you idiot," Hiei ordered, firmly. "If you try to help him now, he _will_ kill you."

"I don't believe you guys," Kuwabara breathed, angrily. "One of your friends is about to die, and all you can do is sit there and watch without even lifting a finger!"

"Now, wait just a second!" Yusuke countered. "Me and Hiei wanna help Kurama just as much as you, but we can't. He's doing this of his own free will. If we stepped in to help, he'd kill us all without hesitation. Now, sit down and shut up!"

Kuwabara grumpily did as he was told and turned to watch the fight again.

Yasuo charged Kurama and headbutted him, knocking him to the grass.

Before Kurama could react, the smaller fox crashed into him again, hurling him into a tree trunk. He hit hard and fell heavily to the ground. He didn't even make the effort to get up. He closed his golden eyes, and his head fell limp onto the grass.

Yasuo trotted up to the still form on the ground and sniffed it, curiously. Satisfied, he turned and trotted back to Sagara. He turned back into his demon form and smirked as the tall fire demon patted him on the head.

"Well done, Yasuo. The great Youko Kurama is dead!" Sagara announced, smirking at the boys in the tree.

The three fighters gasped and looked over at the limp body of their friend.

"Kurama, no," Yusuke breathed, flatly. Tears began to well up in his eyes as the realization hit him. _It's too late_, he thought, letting the tears flow. _I could've saved him, but now... it's... it's too late. He's... he's gone. _He jumped down from the branch beside Hiei and Kuwabara and glared at Sagara, blinking his tears away.


	10. The Final Battle

**Chapter 10: The Final Battle**

"What's this?" Sagara wondered, smirking. "The backup fighters?"

"WHAT!" Kuwabara screamed, angrily. "WE ARE _NOT_ THE BACKUPS!"

"Whatever," Sagara sighed. "You'll be dead in a few seconds anyway, just like your pathetic friend." He shook his head and snapped his fingers.

Yasuo stepped up and dropped to a fighting stance.

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled, furious. "Kurama's not pathetic at all. He died trying to save his son's life. He's the most honorable guy I know and one of the best friends I've ever had. And if you can't see that, I'm gonna have to pound it into that thick head of yours!" He charged Sagara, fist raised, only to be knocked away by Yasuo. He landed before Kuwabara and Hiei and hurriedly got back on his feet, wiping the trail of blood from his lip. _Man, that hurt_, he thought. _I wasn't expecting the kid to step in. He's a whole lot stronger than he looks._

"It looks like we're going to have to take care of Yasuo first before we can have the enjoyment of killing Sagara," Hiei said, drawing his sword.

"Wait a minute, Hiei," Yusuke ordered, never taking his eyes off Yasuo.

"What are doing, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked. "Just let him go. We all know he fights better when he's mad."

"No," Yusuke argued. "We can't kill Yasuo. He may have killed Kurama, but he's still just a little kid. Besides, Kurama would've wanted us to save him."

"But..." Kuwabara started, looking over at Kurama's limp form. _You really loved him, didn't you Kurama?_ he wondered. _You gave everything up to save him. Well, don't you worry, buddy. We'll save your son from that monster._ "You're right, Urameshi," he agreed, turning back to Yasuo and Sagara. "Let's rescue Kurama's son."

Yusuke smiled at him and looked over at Hiei. "Hiei, do you know how Sagara's controlling Yasuo?" he asked.

"Of course," Hiei answered, arrogantly. "It's a special kind of advanced mind-control that works similarly to brainwashing. The subject is manipulated by the user's spirit energy. The spirit energy is sent into their brain and controls their every thought and movement process. It's really not all that different from what I do with the Jagan eye."

"So, what you're saying is that the only way to reverse this is to kill Sagara?" Yusuke asked.

"You know, you're not as incompetent as you look," Hiei scoffed.

"All right then," Yusuke said, turning back to Yasuo and Sagara. "Well, that doesn't sound too hard. Me and Kuwabara can handle Yasuo while you get Sagara."

Hiei nodded and dropped to a stance.

"Ready, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked, looking over at his friend.

"You bet!" Kuwabara agreed. He and Yusuke then ran at Yasuo, ready to fight.

Yasuo took a step back and elbowed Yusuke in the stomach, throwing him away. He quickly formed his own spirit sword and blocked Kuwabara's. Smirking at Kuwabara's stunned expression, he threw him away and blurred to take on Hiei.

Hiei skidded to a stop as the boy appeared before him and dropped to a stance. He blocked Yasuo's spirit sword with his own sword as the boy swung at him and continued doing the same as they got into a little sword-fight.

Yusuke sat up and looked over at Hiei and Yasuo. "Or you can take Yasuo, and we'll get Sagara," he muttered, standing. "That works too."

Kuwabara got to his feet as well and growled, charging Yasuo again.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke called, angrily. "Oh, forget it." He shrugged before following him. _Maybe we should knock the kid out first_, he thought.

_Yes, that's right. All of you just keep attacking Yasuo, _Sagara thought. _They've got thicker heads than I thought. They don't quite grasp the fact that I'm controlling him, and that the only way to beat him is to kill me. The idiots._

Meanwhile, something silver snuck through the tall grass behind him, getting closer and closer by the second. It lay down on the ground as flat as it could and transformed into its demon form. It slowly, cautiously, took a small seed out of its hair and flicked it at Sagara, smirking as it entered its target. It then purposely made a noise and stood up.

Sagara turned around abruptly, wondering who could have gotten behind him without his noticing. "Kurama," he breathed, stunned. "You can't be here. You're dead!"

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei stopped immediately and looked over at Sagara, surprised.

"Kurama!" Yusuke and Kuwabara cried, happily.

Their joy was cut short as Yasuo punched all three of them in the jaw.

"Actually, I'm very much alive," Kurama argued, smirking. "I only faked being dead to gain the advantage."

Sagara growled and fired a ball of flame at the spirit fox.

Kurama abruptly turned back into his fox form and dodged it. He took off running on three legs, smirking inwardly as Sagara chased after him.

"Ha! You're far too slow with that hurt paw of yours to get away from me," Sagara announced, grabbing Kurama's right hind leg. He lifted the squirming animal off the ground and brought his hand up in front of its face. "Say goodbye."

_Not yet_, Kurama thought, smirking inwardly. He narrowed his eyes abruptly, starting the death plant's growth process.

Sagara dropped Kurama in surprise as the death plant took root in his back. "So, that's why you wanted to get behind me," he said, looking over at Kurama who was seated before him. "You let me catch you so you could boost my ego, making it impossible for me to see this coming."

Kurama nodded, silently.

"I'm impressed," Sagara told him. "You are far more skilled than I could ever have imagined. Congratulations, my friend. You have won."

With that, Kurama forced the plant to finish its job.

Sagara fell to the ground in a heap of vines and limp limbs.

Yasuo also fell down, unconscious from the strain put on his small body.

Yusuke and Kuwabara immediately ran to Kurama, jumping over Sagara's body. Hiei picked up Yasuo before joining them.


	11. Return to the Human World

**Chapter 11: Return to the Human World**

Kurama turned back into his demon form and let out a heavy breath, leaning back on his hands.

"Kurama, are you really..." Kuwabara stuttered. "We thought you were a goner."

"I'm just fine, Kuwabara," Kurama replied, smiling. "Except for the few bite wounds I have. Sorry if I worried you."

"You better be sorry, you jerk," Yusuke teased, smiling happily. "You shouldn't scare us like that."

Kurama returned the smile and stood up.

Hiei stopped before the spirit fox and held out the child in his arms to him.

"Yasuo," Kurama breathed, taking his son from Hiei.

"Is he okay?" Kuwabara asked, drifting closer.

"Yes," Kurama answered, smiling at his friends. "He's just tired right now. His strength is drained, and he needs to rest. He should be just fine in a few days."

"All right, now we're gettin' somewhere," Yusuke said, cheerfully. "Mission accomplished. Now, we can go home."

The group then began to laugh.

The boys walked through the forest toward the spot they had arrived at. Yasuo snoozed against Kurama's back, his little face buried in his father's long red hair.

They reached their destination and prepared to go back to the human world.

"Well, I suppose this is where we leave you," Kurama said, smiling at his friends.

"What'd you mean, Kurama?" Yusuke wondered, turning to the redhead. "You're coming with us."

"No... I'm not," Kurama argued, shaking his head sadly. "I'd like to go with you, but... we belong here in the demon world."

"What are you talkin' about?" Kuwabara asked, angrily. "You don't belong here; you belong in the human world with us!" He grabbed a fist full of Kurama's shirt and glared down into his face. "What makes you wanna stay here anyway!"

"This is our home," Kurama answered, wrenching his clothes from Kuwabara's grip. "You wouldn't want to leave your home for the demon world, would you?"

"Well, no... but that's different!" Kuwabara stuttered. "I'm not a demon so I don't... belong here."

Kurama smiled as the realization set in and nodded to him. "Now you see."

"Hold on a minute," Yusuke spoke up, stepping forward. "Kurama, I can tell you really don't wanna stay here. I can see it in your eyes. So, let me ask you. If you don't want to stay, why are you?"

Kurama stared at him with wide eyes.

"See? I knew it!" Yusuke exclaimed, triumphantly. "You don't wanna stay at all."

Kurama hung his head, letting his bangs hide his eyes, and smiled slightly. "Well, I admit it, you've seen through my facade," he said. "I do prefer the human world to the demon world, but I don't want Yasuo to be hurt any more than he already has been."

"You know as well as I do that you'd both be happier in the human world, Kurama," Hiei scoffed, smirking when the others turned their confused eyes on him. "You're taking the humans back anyway, so you can just stay in their world instead of coming back. You managed to survive humanity for seventeen years, so I think your son will be able to handle it."

Kurama smiled at his short friend and nodded his thanks.

Hiei huffed and promptly left.

"I'll never understand that guy," Yusuke commented, watching the fire demon leave.

"Yeah, no kidding," Kuwabara agreed, laughing slightly. "He's just about as weird as they come."

Kurama smiled at them and at Hiei's retreating figure. _Thank you for understanding, Hiei,_ he thought, happily. _I'm sure we'll get along just fine in the living world. Though, I certainly hope you're right about Yasuo being able to handle being the only demon his age._ He sighed heavily and smiled at the small boy clinging to his back. _He'll be happier in the human world. In this world, he never had any children his own age to play with. He'll love having playmates... even if they are all humans._

"Hey Kurama," Yusuke called. "You ready to go?"

Kurama turned to his friends and smiled. "Yes," he agreed, walking over to them.

Kuwabara and Yusuke laid their hands on his shoulders, and the group disappeared.


End file.
